{"id":13372,"date":"2012-07-12T14:43:46","date_gmt":"2012-07-12T18:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jetnation.com\/?p=13372"},"modified":"2012-08-11T22:58:45","modified_gmt":"2012-08-12T02:58:45","slug":"jetnation-nfl-power-rankings-part-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/2012\/07\/12\/jetnation-nfl-power-rankings-part-three\/","title":{"rendered":"JetNation NFL Power Rankings – Part Three"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Part 1 Link)\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Part 2 Link)<\/a><\/h2>\n

10) Baltimore Ravens<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Ravens came a stripped pass away from making the Super Bowl.\u00a0 Feature RB Ray Rice had 1,364 yards rushing last season and 704 yards receiving.\u00a0 The Ravens have franchised Rice and he is hoping to get a long term contract <\/a>with the team.\u00a0 The Ravens lost starting LG Ben Grubbs <\/a>to the Saints but replaced him with veteran OG Bobbie Williams<\/a>.\u00a0 They also drafted Iowa State OL Kelechi Osemele (#60).\u00a0 LT Bryant McKinnie has struggled with weight issues<\/a>, surrendered 8.5 sacks last season<\/a> and will turn 33 in September.\u00a0 QB Joe Flacco, may think he is the best QB in the league<\/a>, but puts up average numbers (3,610 YDS, 57.6 Comp%, 20 TD, 12 INT).\u00a0 Flacco will be throwing to promising second year WR Torrey Smith (50 REC, 841 YDS) and veteran Anquan Boldin (57 REC, 887 YRDS) but he is turning 32 this season.\u00a0 They did pick up WR\/PR Jacoby Jones <\/a>and have TEs Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta over 900 yards receiving last season.<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Ravens strength is the defense which ranked 3rd<\/sup> (288.9 YDS) last season.\u00a0 They also has 49 sacks on the year but have lost DE\/OLB Terrell Suggs <\/a>(70 TCKL, 14 SCKS, 7 FF) for probably the entire season with an Achilles tear. They hope rookie DE\/OLB Courtney Upshaw (#35) can step in for Suggs.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Ravens would be ranked higher if not for losing Suggs he is a playmaker and will be missed.\u00a0 ILB Ray Lewis and FS Ed Reed aren\u2019t getting any younger and while they have played at a high level they have to drop off at some point.\u00a0 The Ravens o-line is in transition and the receiving core is not very deep.\u00a0 They were able to beat Pittsburgh twice last season and win the division wonder if there good enough to do it again?\u00a0 The Ravens are a playoff caliber team with a top 5 defense but may struggle to repeat as division champs.<\/p>\n

9) New Orleans Saints<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 How did San Diego ever let Darren Sproles go to the Saints, like their offense wasn\u2019t potent enough, 1st<\/sup> (467.1 YDS, Per).\u00a0 Sproles had almost 2,700 all-purpose yards and Drew Brees threw for an amazing 5,476 yards last year.\u00a0 The Saints did lose WR Robert Meachem <\/a>(40 REC, 620 YRDS) but still have stud TE Jimmy Graham (99 REC, 1,310 YRS, 13TD) drafted WR Nick Toon, former Jets WR Al Toon\u2019s son, and Brees can make almost any WR look above average.\u00a0 Brees is looking for a long term contract<\/a> with the Saints as he was given the exclusive-franchise tag.\u00a0 They also picked up LG Ben Grubbs <\/a>to replace departed All-Pro Carl Nicks <\/a>as the line and Brees\u2019s quick release only gave up 24 sacks last season.<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Saints had 33 sacks and were 30th<\/sup> (259.8 YRS, per) against the pass.\u00a0 This is not surprising since most teams were so far behind they had to abandon the run.\u00a0 The Saints added some veterans to the defense this off-season: DT Brodrick Bunkley<\/a>, LB Curtis Lofton <\/a>and LB David Hawthorne<\/a>.\u00a0 These pick-ups will help as LB Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the entire season and DE Will Smith was given a four games suspension for the bounty-gate scandal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Bounty-gate is bound to take a toll on the Saints season as they have lost their head coach Sean Payton for the entire year<\/a>.\u00a0 Their offense will still be top notch given Brees is a coach on the field and new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is proven.\u00a0 The Saints talented wise are still the best team in the NFC South but they will be\/have been challenged on and off the field.\u00a0 They have a difficult enough schedule and usually don\u2019t play as well on the road thus winning the division is not a given.<\/p>\n

8) Pittsburgh Steelers<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 Job one, keep QB Ben Roethlisberger (4,077 YRDS) healthy.\u00a0 New offensive coordinator Todd Haley will implement a higher percentage of running plays <\/a>to do just that.\u00a0 This will be more difficult as the Steeler\u2019s best RB Rashard Mendenhall <\/a>will miss most of the season with an ACL injury.\u00a0 They will look for Isaac\u2019 Redman to fill-in until Mendenhall can return.\u00a0 The Steelers used their first two draft choices on offensive linemen: #24 OG David DeCastro and #56 OT Mike Adams.\u00a0\u00a0They are hoping both will start this season and improve on the 42 sacks allowed in 2011.<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong>\u00a0 They are old and slow yet ranked 1st<\/sup> in yards and points allowed.\u00a0 They only had 35 sacks last season with James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley each having 9.\u00a0 NT Casey Hampton is coming off a torn ACL and may not be ready for opening day so the Steelers drafted DT Alameda Ta\u2019amu (#109) in case Hampton is not ready.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Ravens will miss Terrell Suggs but the Steelers won\u2019t.\u00a0 His injury just made winning the AFC North easier.\u00a0 Roethlisberger has plenty of weapons on offense and if the o-line additions workout the unit will be set for a long time.\u00a0 Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is one of the best in the NFL and the Steelers defense, while not dynamic, just seem to get the job done.\u00a0 If they split with Baltimore the Steelers will win the AFC North.<\/p>\n

7) San Francisco 49ers<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 Head coach Jim Harbaugh got the most out of former bust label QB Alex Smith (90.7 QBR).\u00a0 Harbaugh put Smith into positions to succeed by running the ball (8th<\/sup>, 127.8 YRS, per) effectively and having Smith manage the game as he only threw 5 interceptions last season.\u00a0 The line did give up 44 sacks as RT Anthony Davis allowed 9.5.<\/a>\u00a0 The 49ers let RG Adam Snyder sign with the Cardinals <\/a>and it appears they will look to third year OL Alex Boone to take his place, although Boone has never started an NFL game.\u00a0 They did add to their skill positions with WRs Mario Manningham <\/a>and unretired Randy Moss <\/a>as well as RB Brandon Jacobs<\/a>.\u00a0 They also drafted change of pace RB LaMichael James (#61).<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The 49ers were ranked 4th<\/sup> in yards(308.2) and 2nd<\/sup> points allowed (14.3).\u00a0 They have excellent LBs lead by Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (143 TCKLS).\u00a0 They were 1st<\/sup> against stopping the run (77.2 YRS, per) and were an impressive plus 28 in turnovers.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The 49ers are the best team in the NFC West no doubt but even with a strong defense wonder if they overachieved some last season and can duplicate that plus 28 turnover ratio.\u00a0 Alex Smith is a game manager but his line has some question marks and feature RB Frank Gore is 29 and had 282 carries last season, wonder if he\u2019ll wear down some.\u00a0 13-3 seems unlikely given some very difficult match-ups this season but they will win the NFC West.<\/p>\n

6) Detroit Lions<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 QB Matthew Stafford finally was able to stay healthy and proved why he was the #1 overall pick in 2009 with 5,038 yards passing and 41 touchdowns.\u00a0 The Lions will be looking to get more out of their running game 29th<\/sup> (95.2 YRS) as second year RB Mikel Leshoure <\/a>should be back from an Achilles injury that cost him his rookie season and Jahvid Best <\/a>(4.6 YRS per carry) only played six games due to a concussion but is expected to return.\u00a0 The Lions WR core is excellent led by Calvin \u201cMegatron\u201d Johnson (96 REC, 1,681 YRS) and TE Brandon Pettigrew (83 REC, 777 YRS).\u00a0 The offensive line gave up a respectable 36 sacks last season considering the amount of passing they did but LT Jeff Backus gave up 8.5 <\/a>sacks and will be 35 this season.\u00a0 The Lions use their first draft pick #23 on OT Riley Reiff who could start at RT or play LT if necessary.<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Lions have a talented defense especially on the line.\u00a0 If they can keep from being arrested, see Nick Fairley<\/a>, too often maybe the team can improve on their 41 sacks from last season.\u00a0 The Lions are hoping third year CB Aaron Berry can replace the departed Eric Wright <\/a>but Berry was recently arrested <\/a>as well on DUI charges.\u00a0 They also drafted DBs Dwight Bentley (#85) and Chris Greenwood (#148) to help their secondary.\u00a0 The Lions defense ranked 23rd<\/sup> (367.6 YRS, per) in 2011.<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Lions have a talented team, their offense should be top notch and more balanced.\u00a0 The defense needs to stay focused and stop hanging around with law enforcement, in a bad way.\u00a0 The Lions defense had a rough time slowing the best offenses in the league as the Packers and Saints (twice) put up big numbers.\u00a0 If the Lions want to compete for a championship their defense will have to step-up against the better offenses.\u00a0 The Lions have the Packers and Bears in their very difficult division and it will be hard to beat out the Packers for the NFC North title but they should obtain a playoff berth again.<\/p>\n

5) Houston Texans<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Texans had one of the best offensive lines last season as they led the league in rushing (153 YDS, per).\u00a0 RBs Arian Foster and Ben Tate had over 2,100 yards rushing combined.\u00a0 The only problem is they have to replace the entire right side of the line as RG Mike Brisiel <\/a>signed with Oakland and RT Eric Winston was released \u201cfailed physical<\/a>\u201d although it was a salary cap move<\/a>, later signed with the Chiefs<\/a>.\u00a0 They hope OG Andre Caldwell, OT Rashad Butler or rookie OG Brandon Brooks (#76) can replace the lost linemen.\u00a0 QB Matt Shaub should be back after a Lisfanc fracture <\/a>ended his season after 10 games.\u00a0 He will have All-Pro WR Andre Johnson to throw to as long as he is on the field since he only played 7 games last season.\u00a0 The Texans don\u2019t have much at WR after Johnson, they drafted WR Devier Posey (#68) and Keshawn Martin (#121).\u00a0 They\u2019ll be looking for more than 39 receptions 492 yards from veteran Kevin Walter and they hope second year receiver Lestar Jean can contribute.\u00a0 TE Owen Daniels led the team with 54 receptions for 677 yards.<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Texans are just loaded on defense even after losing DE\/OLB Mario Williams<\/a>, who only played 5 games and they never missed him, and trading LB DeMeco Ryans<\/a>.\u00a0 They drafted DE\/OLB Whitney Mercilus (#26) to replace the departed Williams while second year DE J.J. Watt (68 TCKLS, 5.5 sacks) looks to improve on an impressive rookie year.\u00a0 The Texans defense was 2nd<\/sup> (285.7 YDS, per) last season and there is no reason to think they won\u2019t be at least as good.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Texans do have some questions on the o-line and at WR depth but the offense was 10th<\/sup> in points scored (23.8) last season and will be formidable.\u00a0 Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips\u2019 defense should be excellent as they have playmakers all over the field.\u00a0 The AFC South is weak with Tennessee being the only team with a chance to be above .500.\u00a0 The Texans will win the AFC South and be in the hunt for the #1 or 2 seed in the AFC.<\/p>\n

4) New England Patriots<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The #2 ranked offense (428 YRS, per) from 2011 goes out and gets WR Brandon Lloyd <\/a>who had almost 1,000 receiving after spending most of the season with the Rams and their terrible offense.\u00a0 Lloyd knows offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel\u2019s system since he played for him at Denver while McDaniels was the head coach.\u00a0 The Pats picked-up WRs Jabar Gaffney <\/a>and Donte’ Stallworth <\/a>also adding RB Joseph Addai <\/a>to replace departed BenJarvus Green-Ellis<\/a>.\u00a0 They are also looking for big things out of second year RB Stevan Ridley<\/a>.\u00a0 They did lose LT Matt Light to retirement <\/a>but have OTs Nate Solder or Sebastian Vollmer as a replacement.\u00a0 The pass heavy Patriots line only gave up 32 sacks last season.<\/p>\n

Defense: <\/strong>\u00a0Their defense was 31st<\/sup> (411.1 YDS) per game, 31st<\/sup> in passing yards (293.9) but only 15th<\/sup> in points (21.4) last season.\u00a0 The Pats went hard after defenders in the draft picking DE\/OLB Chandler Jones (#21) and ILB Dont\u2019a Hightower (#25), six of their seven picks were used on defense.\u00a0 They also picked up DL Jonathan Fanene<\/a>, DE\/OLB Trevor Scott<\/a>, CB Will Allen<\/a>, former Jets DB Marquice Cole <\/a>along with safety Steve Gregory<\/a>.\u00a0 Second year CB Ras-I Dowling <\/a>is returning from a hip injury that cost him most of his rookie season.\u00a0 The Pats lost DE Mark Anderson <\/a>and his ten sacks and DL Andre Carter (10 sacks) remains a free agent<\/a>, reports say Carter is seeking a long term deal from the Patriots, but he is still recovering from a season ending injury.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The AFC champion Patriots are primed for another run at the Super Bowl as they may have the best offense in the league.\u00a0 They will have to improve on a poor pass defense and might need to carry the offense, for once, during the tough post-season stretch.\u00a0 The Patriots will win the AFC East the only question is will they get a post-season bye week?<\/p>\n

3) Philadelphia Eagles<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong> The Eagles finished 4th<\/sup> (399.1 YRS) in total offense in 2011.\u00a0 They have signed WR DeSean Jackson <\/a>(58 REC, 961YRDS) to a long term contract, so maybe he\u2019ll try harder now.\u00a0 They also locked up RB LeSean McCoy<\/a>, 1,309 yards rushing, 315 yards receiving last season.\u00a0 They did lose LT Jason Peters to an Achilles <\/a>injury but replaced him with former Bill\u2019s LT Demetress Bell<\/a>.\u00a0 TE Brent Celek had a solid year (62 REC, 811YRS).<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Eagles had 50 sacks last season but were 16th<\/sup> against the run (112.6 YDS, per).\u00a0 They used their first three draft picks on defensive players: DT Fletcher Cox (#12), LB Mychal Kendricks (#46) and DE Vinny Curry (#59).\u00a0 They also acquired MLB Demeco Ryans from Houston <\/a>since he didn\u2019t fit the Texans 3-4 defense but Ryans excelled in the 4-3.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The \u201cDream Team\u201d turned into a nightmare fast last season but Philly seemed to get it going down the stretch.\u00a0 Maybe the new additions needed sometime to gel and the lack of off-season preparation hurt them.\u00a0 They can move the ball on offense and can get to the QB on defense so why didn\u2019t they make the playoffs last season?\u00a0 A minus 14 turnover ratio doomed the Eagles as they gave the ball up to often especially in the red-zone.\u00a0 They have a difficult schedule and play in the division with the champion Giants and improved Cowboys but they have enough talent to challenge for a championship if they can hold onto the ball.<\/p>\n

2) Green Bay Packers<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong> QB Aarron Rogers and his 4,643 yards passing and 45 touchdowns led the Packers to the #1 scoring offense in the league, 35 points per game average.\u00a0 The Packers gave up a surprisingly high 41 sacks given Rogers abilities.\u00a0 LT Marshal Newhouse allowed 11.5 sacks <\/a>alone and will likely start at LT again as the Packers released former LT Chad Clifton <\/a>and second year OT Derek Sherrod <\/a>is still recovering from a broken leg.\u00a0 The Packers also lost center Scott Wells <\/a>but replaced him with veteran, long time Colt, Jeff Saturday <\/a>(age 37).<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong> \u00a0As good as the offense was the defense was bad.\u00a0 The Packers ranked 32nd<\/sup> (411.6 YDS) and only had 29 sacks in 2011.\u00a0 They spent their first six draft choices on defensive players and are hoping DE\/OLB Nick Perry (#28) can be a pass rushing threat taking blockers away from DE\/OLB Clay Mathews who only had 6 sacks last season as teams focused on him after 13.5 sacks in 2010.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Packers were an impressive plus 24 in turnover ratio as they had 31 interceptions to their opponents 8.\u00a0 The offense is elite and with Rogers at QB they will have limited turnovers as he had a 45-6 TD-to-INT ratio.\u00a0 The defense usually plays with a lead so don\u2019t expect them not to give up yards but will need to improve the pass rush and overall performance if they want to win the Super Bowl again.\u00a0 The Lions and Bears are tough competition in the NFC North but Green Bay is just too good and will be entering the post-season with a week-off.<\/p>\n

1) New York Giants<\/h2>\n

Offense:<\/strong>\u00a0 Where would the Giants be without QB Eli Manning (4,933 YDS, 61% COPM, 29TD), well they wouldn\u2019t be Super Bowl Champs.\u00a0 Manning carried the Giants offense as they ranked last in rushing yards per game (89.2).\u00a0 The Giants used their first draft selection on RB David Wilson (#32) hoping he and RB Ahmad Bradshaw (659 YRS), who was missed time to injury last season, can carry the running game.\u00a0 They did lose longtime RB Brandon Jacobs <\/a>and WR Mario Manningham <\/a>to the 49ers. WR Hakeem Nicks <\/a>(76 REC, 1,192 YRS) is dealing with a broken foot luckily the Giants drafted WR Rueben Randle (#63) and are hoping second year receiver Jerrel Jernigan <\/a>can replace Manningham and fill-in until Nicks is full healthy.\u00a0 They also lost TE Jake Ballard <\/a>(38 REC, 604 YDS) but picked up TE Martellus Bennett <\/a>from the Cowboys.\u00a0 The o-line only gave up 28 sacks last season, thanks in part to Manning, and they will look to replace former RT Kareem McKenzie and want to keep LT Will Beatty <\/a>healthy for the season.\u00a0 Second year OT James Brewer <\/a>is in the mix to replace McKenzie.<\/p>\n

Defense:<\/strong> \u00a0The Giants had 48 sacks in 2011 led by Jason Pierre-Paul\u2019s 16.5.\u00a0 The Giants fought injuries all season last year but got healthy when the playoffs began.\u00a0 They have an excellent d-line with depth and they are hoping second year DT Marvin Austin <\/a>can contribute as an injury prevented seeing any action last season.\u00a0 They picked-up often injured LB Keith Rivers in a trade with the Bengals <\/a>but he was the #9 overall pick in 2008 and could be a real steal if healthy.\u00a0 They will need to improve on the 27th<\/sup> defensive ranking (376.4 YRS, per) if they want to repeat as champs and will need to remain healthy to do so.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0 On paper the Giants (9-7, 2011) are not the number one team but you don\u2019t play games on paper.\u00a0 The saying is \u201cTo be the champs you have to beat the champs\u201d and since the Giants have the Lombardi Trophy they are ranked first until someone proves why they should not be.\u00a0 Nine victories will probably not win the NFC East this season but the Giants will battle for the division\u2019s top spot and could make a run at another championship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Part 1 Link)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Part 2 Link) 10) Baltimore Ravens Offense:\u00a0 The Ravens came a stripped pass away from making the Super Bowl.\u00a0 Feature RB Ray Rice had 1,364 yards rushing last season and 704 yards receiving.\u00a0 The Ravens have franchised Rice and he is hoping to get a long term contract with the team.\u00a0 The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13372","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-nfl-news"},"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLffi-3tG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13372"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14183,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13372\/revisions\/14183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}